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Tony Lombardi Talks Ravens Training Camp Storylines

Tony Lombardi from the Russell Street Report joined the Scott Garceau Show with Jeremy Conn to discuss Raven's football.

Joe Flacco is entering his eighth season as the Ravens quarterback and is still considered by many to be an "average" quarterback in the NFL. Jeremy asked Tony what he thought about Joe Flacco being compared to other "average" quarterbacks such as Tony Romo, Andy Dalton, and Carson Palmer. "I agree, if look at his work as a whole, I think it's fair for him to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys [Romo, Dalton, Palmer]. But look at what Joe has done in the playoffs, and to me, that does separate him from those guys. What has Carson Palmer done in the playoffs? What has Andy Dalton done? What has Tony Romo done? The answer is nothing."

Tony also mentioned that Flacco will have some new weapons to work with going into the season and the competition that will take place during training camp will determine who will be Flacco's main targets. "I'm interested in how the competitions are going to shake out on offense at the skill positions; wide receiver, tight end, and running back." He noted that fans should pay attention to specific matchups such as Lorenzo Taliaferro vs. Buck Allen and Crockett Gillmore vs. Maxx Williams, and also to keep an eye on the development of Breshad Perriman. "We want to see if Breshad Perriman is the real deal, if he can fill Torrey's [Smith] shoes and take it up another notch."

Steve Smith Sr. is one of the few proven skilled position veterans on the offensive side of the ball, and Tony gave his opinion on how much he thinks Smith Sr. has left in the tank. "I think he's got one more year left. I think what he will do this year is probably a little of what he did last year, perhaps a little less. I think the Ravens receiving core will allow for Steve Smith to do a little bit less and maybe have more gas in the tank come playoff time. I see this as being potentially a year like Ray Lewis where he sailed off into the sunset with the trophy. That could happen to Steve Smith this year."

Make sure you follow Scott and Jeremy on Twitter.

Scott Garceau: @ScottGShow1057

Jeremy Conn: @JeremyConn1057

Listen to the full Interview here:

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